The Brooklyn Nets selected Duke forward Mason Plumlee with the 22nd pick in the NBA draft as they worked to acquire Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce from the Celtics.
The 7-foot Plumlee played four seasons for the Blue Devils and improved his scoring average every season, topping out at 17.1 as a senior.
The draft was just a footnote for the Nets on Thursday night. Brooklyn was trying to make a huge trade with Boston. According to a person familiar with the situation, the Nets were attempting to acquire veterans Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry for a package of players and draft picks that includes Kris Humphries.
The person confirmed the talks to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the details were to remain private.
Plumlee's brother, Miles, also played for Duke and was drafted by the Indiana Pacers No. 26 overall last year. The youngest Plumlee brother from Warsaw, Ind., Marshall, will be a sophomore at Duke next season.
Mason Plumlee adds depth, size and athleticism to a Nets' frontcourt which really could be in flux and aging. Garnett is 37 and Pierce will be 36 when the season starts. If the trade goes through, Gerald Wallace will also be leaving Brooklyn and heading to Boston.
Plumlee, 23, was one of the better low-post scorers in the Atlantic Coast Conference last season and averaged 9.9 rebounds per game for coach Mike Krzyzewski, who also coached Nets General Manager Billy King.
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Plumlee had a good look at his new home arena and a warm welcome with the Nets fans at Barclays Center. He also got to meet new coach Jason Kidd and star point guard Deron Williams.
"They just welcomed me and I'm just excited about being around those guys," said Plumlee, who was making his first trip to Brooklyn.
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AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney contributed to this report.
